Preparation

I have really never tasted a Jasmine tea I didn’t like. This one came as a free sample with my new travel tea mug from Teas etc. I tried it out in the mug and it was neat to see some of the flowers unfurl. it tasted a little bitter toward the end, because of the way the leaves remain in this particular mug after steeping, and not because of any flaw in the tea. I didn’t get any shakes or nervousness from the caffeine in this, so that makes me a happy camper.

I could not find this on the internet, so I hope I have the information right. I had to buy this when I saw it because I did a double take. BASIL?! In tea? Smells ok? Let’s do this!

The result is, well, I’m not sure. I love how my hands smell after I pluck the blossoms from my basil plant at home, so the aroma was very soothing for me. I think the rooibos might be throwing me off. The combined effect tastes herbal (like spice rack herbal) and dulls all flavors in my mouth, like a cigarette. OK, now the flavor seems more metallic to me, like a spoon.

Preparation

Delicious. This tastes EXACTLY like the Republic RED Chai, which is one of my favorites. Very strong and peppery. I always consume this in loose leaf (maybe those who commented about weakness are using bags). I always add milk and sweetener to round it out. I’ll probably stick with the red version, because I love having a non caffeinated chai. However, its good to know I could slip a little caffeine buzz in there without any substantial flavor change. One nice thing about the black tea version is that this does not have the long pokey rooibos strands that seem to slip through the filter. Getting those suckers caught in your throat ruins the experience.

Preparation

Pretty good tea, borrowed from a fellow tea sipping coworker. I can’t find this online, so I wonder where she picked it up. I love the vintage all-American design of this label. The plain bag smell is not so inspiring but a brewed cup is actually quite refreshing. The dark color of the black tea is very strange in comparison to the more light watermelon flavor. I would like to experience this iced, because warm watermelon flavor is a little unfamiliar.